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"Variety of uses"

"Bright colours"

Disadvantages

None

Stick em all over

I love pretty post it notes and the brighter the better for me as it makes them stand out more and I am not likely to overlook them if I have placed them somewhere important. I bought these sticky notes from my local discount store and they only cost 99p which is a great price. They come in a square block which measures 5cm across and although they are quite small you can still fit quite a bit of writing on them.

There are 400 sheets in total and this is split into different coloured blocks of varying shades of pink. To use you just peel them off one by one and they do peel off easily. They have the usual sticky section along one edge which you use to stick the note to whatever you need to and the pages feel good quality.

I use these sticky notes to write various notes to myself and which I find I am doing more often nowadays as my memory definitely isn't as sharp as it used to be. I keep these in the kitchen so I will jot down any food or household items I need to buy and then I will either put the note in the flap section of my purse ready for when I go shopping, or if I haven't finished the list I will either leave it on the pad or stick it to the fridge. I find that these notes stay flat on any surface and I have never experienced them coming unstuck or curling up at the edges.

I like the size of these notes compared to larger ones as I tend to waste these if I am only writing a few items down to buy. I do like this block pad as it really is pretty and bright and looks good on my window ledge. If I am writing a general note to myself to remind me to do something I will write the note and then stick it in the front of my diary which I take everywhere with me and I don't have to worry about losing the note in the bottom of my bag as I would if I have written the note on a piece of paper.

These notes are also very useful to mark pages in a book if I am doing some training or if I am looking at a travel book so I can easily go back to the pages I need rather than having to remember which page I need. At just 99p these are a great item and I would recommend them and definitely buy them again

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A super sticky way to remember important things!

---Introduction- Why I use Post-its---

Since I have begun my teacher training, Post-it notes have become a huge part of my life. Not in a strange 'I'm sticking Post-its to the walls because the children have driven me crazy' kind of way, but as a great way for assessment and keeping records. Without going into to much detail, in school I use Post-its all the time to write notes about what the children have done during a lesson, any things they might have said that show an understanding of the topic and anything else of note about their behaviour or work. These Post-its are then stuck into their workbooks or put into their files as evidence for assessment.

Post-it notes come in lots of different shapes and sizes and pretty much any colour you could want. For this review I will be writing about the standard square (76mm x 76mm) 'Canary Yellow' ones, as these are the ones that I use everyday at work.

---My Experiences- Do they work?---

As you can imagine, with Post-it notes playing such an important role in my day to day routine at work, it is really important that they do the job that they are designed to. Probably the most important quality for Post-it notes is that they are sticky enough to stay secure once you stick them to something- they are no use if they fall off or you need to use glue to get them to stick properly. I have found that in the past when I have tried to use cheaper alternatives, they are only sticky as soon as they are pulled from the pack, as soon as I stuck them into book or onto something they would fall off or they would seem to gather all the dust in the air onto the sticky strip, rendering it useless! However, with the branded Post-it notes I have found that they do a good job of sticking and more importantly staying stuck without having to use glue to fasten them. This is especially useful when you have two or three Post-its for 30 children that need sticking in as it is saves a lot of time!

The standard 'Canary Yellow' Post-its are probably the most famous type- not quite a fluorescent yellow, but still fairly bright. Whilst they are not particularly exciting, the colour is bright enough that they are very visible and stand out, especially on a white piece of paper. For my personal use, the colour of these Post-it notes is perfect, however if you were writing some really important reminders or something that you desperately needed to remember, a brighter colour may be better for you. This shouldn't be a problem however, because Post-its are available in a whole host of colours and there is a florescent range for your more important notes. Post-it notes come packaged with a plastic cover with the Post-it logo printed on the top. The packaging is not very exciting, but seeing as I take the notes out of the plastic and then throw it away this is fine by me. Sometimes it is definitely better to have simple packaging to keep the product cost down!

The only downside of Post-it notes is that they can be a little expensive. A standard size square pack of 100 'Canary Yelow' Post-it notes will set you back around £2.50 in most places and different colours or shapes can be cost quite a bit more. Whilst this isn't extortionate, this does mean that perhaps the price only warrants them being used when you really need to remember something! However, you can buy packets of Post-its in bulk from many online retailers which does work out quite a lot cheaper if you use them regularly. There are cheaper alternatives, but as I have mentioned, I have found these to not be as sticky and to need some prit-stick to make sure they are securely stuck in my books.

-- My Overall Views and Opinions --

Post-it notes might not seem very exciting, but they are something that I use everyday and it is important that they do a good job and actually stick in the children's books. I have found that Post-it notes are suitably sticky and do not need any glue to keep them secure. They are a little expensive compared to other brands, but I have found the quality to be far superior and I personally think that they are so useful they justify the price tag. I love my Post-it notes and I would be lost without them! However, I think unless you have important notes or things to remember and will use them regularly they are one of those things that you don't really need to spend money on! I would recommend using Post-its if you or your children/friends are revising for exams as they are great to stick on mirrors or wardrobes with little revision facts that you need to learn!

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handy reminders to stick everywhere

I have post it notes on my desk by my computer so I can make notes, as well as writing things down in pads and in word on the actual computer.

I have them all over the place, and they often have on them something to do first thing in the morning, and they will be on the door, computer, fridge etc.

PRACTICLE USE

These post it notes may seem expensive to buy initially, but in the long term they work out to be of good value if you do not use the like waste paper. I use the top third, and separate them into sections for different things like , doctors app, call this person at 10 am, iron shirt.

I also write on the back, mostly by accident, as the pad looks the same so I them have to write it again as it doesn't show once you stick it down ! I do use the backs as note pads and blue tack them on to things though.

I find writing things down on these lets me stop thinking about them and get on with other things, otherwise I keep stopping and wonder what I have forgotten or should remember. I also use the alarm on my phone.

VALUE

I have 2 pads that I have had for at least a year that probably have about 15 pages on one and 30 pages on the other left. So although they cost £1.99 in the shop for 100 pages now to buy they do last a long time.They sometimes drop off things, as the sticky part fades but I still carry on using them as notes on the desk, I just put a paperweight on them of some sort.

post it notes are handy, the post it cubes may be better value as you get a lot more, and the supermarket own brand ones are almost as good but about half the price.

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Good for notes & poor memories!

I'm a huge fan of sticky notes, both at home and in the office, where they seem to cover any stationary surface I can find. You can buy different brands of these babies and choose the size / colour combination that best suits your needs. However, there do seem to be differences in terms of the quality, which is partly reflected in the price. Post-Its are probably the most popular, and most highly rated, sticky notes.

Although I tend to opt for Tesco own brand sticky notes, as these come in a huge square block for only £1 and I'm not too fussed about their sticking power, Post-Its are always bought for the office. The general idea, though self-explanatory really, is that any time you need to jot something down you can reach out for a notelet and quickly remove it. From there, you can stick it anywhere you like (that is sticky-friendly). I sometimes use these just as notes, ie. When taking a phone call, and other times when I need to remind myself of something to do I may stick them on the computer monitor or on the top of a folder. When I'm at home these often get used by the phone to take a message, get stuck to the fridge to remind my rather forgetful memory when it's recycling collection day, or I fold the top sticky over altogether and put it in my purse with a shopping list on.

Since gaining popularity, the brand has also expanded their range, offering not just your bog standard square affairs, but also flags (the little ones), dispensers and holders, and pop-up notes. The regular 'Post-It' notes have a small strip of stickiness across the top of the square of paper, which is just enough to attach it to a surface.

Each sheet comes off quickly and easily, and they allow you to write on any part of the paper with most pens or a pencil. The top part when a previous piece of sticky has been doesn't usually affect the ability to write over it too much.

As I've already said, I do find these to be superior in terms of sticking ability compared to cheaper versions I've tried. They hold quite well, and it seems to stay reasonable well over time too. If you were to compare these to some cheap brands, I would also say the quality of the paper is also better than some, making it easier to write on (and over the sticky), and clear to read what you've written. The yellow pads make ink / pencil show up far more sharply and the bold contrast makes seeing the note ten times easier than on some coloured ones I've had from cheaper brands in the past.

The other difference? The price. For the brand name, you will generally be looking at spending more pennies. At Tesco, a memo cube (76mm x 76mm) containing 325 sheets costs £4. In comparison, a 350 block of coloured ones by Tesco costs only £1. A 450 sheet block (Rymans) costs £5.49 if you want to supersize it, or you can opt for the smaller, 'regular' size of 100 sheets for £1.89. Still quite pricey, though the 'value for money' aspect depends on whether or not you value the stickiness, in which case you're probably better off with these as they are decent quality. You can also get the Post-It 'super sticky' version, which I haven't tried but is supposed to, as the name suggests, be super sticky (just for a few extra pennies)!

The best alternative I've found has been the Teso sticky notes. If you want the most similar thing in terms of colour, size, paper quality and a reasonably good stick, their smaller pack is probably the best bet. For those not too worried about the pennies, then I'd highly recommend these. Quick and easy to use, and incredibly handy!

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A bright spot on my desk

Post-It Notes come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours but my favourite format is the Post-It Cube. This is a pad of 450 notes, square in shape at 76mm x 76mm. The defining characteristic of Post-It Notes is that they are sticky - you make a note, peel the Post-It off the pad, and then stick it to your desk, computer, notebook, forehead - wherever you want.

I've had Post-It Cubes in a variety of colours, including the pink stripey one shown above, and the same design in shades of blue. These two seem to have been discontinued by my company stationery supplier, so my current is a mixture of shades of pink, orange and purple which seems to be called Joy.

Post-It Notes, in any form, are wonderful things. I use several a day, to scribble down tasks and messages from my managers, to make a note of stationery or computer equipment I need to order, to take notes during phone conversations. Some of these end up stuck in my diary for future reference, and some end up in the recycling bin. The fact that I can stick them to my diary or computer, or even just to my desk, means that I don't have heaps of bits of paper cluttering up my desk, and it means I can find a note when I need it.

Post-It Cubes, in particular, suit me because I go through lots of notes. I could just use the regular sized pads and keep replacing them, but I like to have a longer lasting pad of Post-Its. I choose the multicoloured cubes because it adds a bit of variety - this sounds a bit geeky, but I look forward to the colour of the notes changing as the cube is used up. Sometimes I'll deliberately use a couple more Post-Its than I really need to, just so I can get to the next colour in the cube.

In terms of stickiness, I find that the notes from the Post-It Cubes are just as good as any other variety of Post-It, with the exception of the super-sticky Post-Its, which are obviously stickier than regular ones. The stickiness does wear off quite easily if you move the Post-It around a bit, but Post-Its that I've stuck in one place and not moved are still sticky months later.

One of the benefits that I have from using Post-It Cubes is that no one else in the office does - so mine is easy to track down if it goes walkies from my desk.

Post-It Cubes aren't very exciting, but I like having a nice bright one to liven up my desk. I'm sure that I could live without Post-It Notes, but I'd rather not.

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Must-haves in the office!

Post-It notes are basically, sticky little pieces of coloured paper which you can write messages on and leave in a place where someone will see. They are popular in both offices as well as at home.

The Post-It notes are available in different colours; pink, yellow etc. They colours are very bright which is great as it means that they will stand out and so you will easily see the message.

They are available in different sizes which is good. I always like to keep the 'bigger' ones by the phone as there is nothing worse when you are trying to write down a message and you run out of room. I keep the smaller ones for notes for myself such as 'remember to get a birthday card, etc' or for little jobs for myself.

When I was at school, I found them useful for when revising. I'd write little notes and stick them around the house - I found it really helped with tests at school. I used to hate revising and so this was a 'fun' (or most exciting) way for me to revise.

It's also a good idea to keep these by the phone; that way you always have something to hand to write down any messages - you can then peel that note off and stick it somewhere where it will get seen I.e on the fridge. I also keep some by my bed so that if I remember something I need to do the next day I can quickly jot it down as a reminder.

They can be expensive - it depends on what size and how many you have in a pack etc. but the ones I have bought have been around the £2 mark. It's a bit expensive, but I have found that they do last a while ( a few months). They are good quality and the sticky part is really sticky which means that the note actually stays where you put it (unlike cheaper versions I have bought in the past which don't stick and so the message ends up on the floor, unread.)

All in all, I would definitely recommend these Post-It Notes as they are such a simple, yet extremely effective piece of stationery. I'd be lost without these at work.

Thank you for readingSeptember 2013Xdonzx / xd-o-n-z-

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Fun stationery product!

I'm sure many of us have heard the story of how these little sticky notes originated. The tale of the scientist working for 3M in America has indeed been a popular one and also goes to show how great ideas often have serendipitous beginnings. If it weren't for the 'low-tack' adhesive powers of this glue from the 'failed' experiment to find a super-strong adhesive, we may never have known what a Post-it was! Furthermore it is quite crazy to think that the superiors of this little known scientist were not very enthusiastic with his idea and only took it on board much later!

Happily since the product debuted in shops in 1980, hundreds of thousands have taken to this product. This has been particularly with manufacturers coming up with increasingly inventive ways to sell them: stylist refillable dispensers, flower shaped post-its and huge multicoloured blocks to name a few! Indeed, the brand now sells more than 4000 unique products! They're used by everyone to jot down notes and even by artists to create fun, large scale works!

There are a multitude of post-it facts around the internet, and I'll share a few of them in this fun review. (1) Did you know that in 2000, a designer actually created an avant-garde clothing line made of post-its? This line included a wedding gown and hats!(2) In order to go around our planet once, you would need approximately 506,880,000 of these sticky notes!(3) Why is it yellow? You may hear different stories about this one, but according to Geoff Nicholson of 3M and the 'Father of Post-it Notes', it was because the laboratory next door had 'some scrap yellow paper'!

I'm not the biggest post-it user, but I have found that by taking a standard post-it note (by this, I mean the standard 3inch by 3inch square) and cutting it into strips, they make cheerful looking bookmarks. Even more so when you're using them frequently in a large piece of text. You can even use different colours for different topics to make revision that little bit more fun!

On the more serious, and slightly unhappy side, I'm giving this review 4 stars and not 5 purely because of the price. For what the product is, it does stray on the expensive side. A quick example being a 450 sheet cube retailing at £7.65 rrp!

On a healthier note, long live the post-it note!!

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Practical and useful

Even though I am in my 40s (early 40s, thanks for asking) I pride myself on being completely immature for my age; I still read comics, play computer games, watch all the hip new tv shows. I look forward to embarrassing my kids for years to come as they get older. I am pretty up with all the latest tech and gadgets, have a smartphone, an iPad etc, yet of late have found myself getting just a little bit old school...

...which brings us to the humble, yet vital post-it note block. For several years I have tried to use the 'reminder' function on my smartphone, or the 'notes' programme, but you know what,nothing beats the original post-it note. With the gadgets, I just forget to check them. Or the phone is turned off. Or has no charge. You get the picture. Now the humble post-it note never loses power, is never turned off, and is very difficult to miss. No-brainer really.

Invented in 1974, yet not widely in use until the 1980's when post-it notes became the new superstar of the office workplace (move over paperclips!), they were voted one of the top consumer products of the 80's and early 90's. If there is anyone reading this over 20 who has not had the pleasure of using post-it notes at work, ( especially useful for pranks), and 'accidentally' taking some home with them from the stationary cupboard, I'll be amazed. These were almost currency in my old office.

So what do we get with our post-it block? well, its not the sexiest thing you'll ever read but each cube has 450 sheets, measuring 76mm x 76mm, and a variety of bright and cheery colours to choose from...(if you like pastel blue, yellow, and pink that is). You can buy in smaller bundles but these blocks are the best value, as turnover tends to be high...especially when, like me, you make impromptu, amusing flip-books.

Joking aside, these are genuinely useful. When bills are due, or important calls need to be made, or nursery fees are coming up, I write down the necessary info and stick the post-it on my PC; weekly shopping consists almost entirely of whatever has been written on the post it notes stuck to the front of the fridge; and my wife amusingly sticks a post it note on the bath to remind me to 'wash the kids'...I can't pretend these are the answer to every household chore, but they are very handy and useful. They also make good page markers in books when you are studying, or even as an impromptu bookmark.

To get my point, they are not essential but extremely versatile and handy to have around (I've used two to doodle on while writing this; one of those houses where your pen never leaves the page, and a kind of duck/dinosaur hybrid). They stick to pretty much anything (even peoples backs, chuckle) and will be something that, although we use less, I suspect will always been around.

Although we may soon need 'post-it note use training days' for the younger generation....

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My daily prompt

I have recently started a new job, and as a result I was given a number of new items of stationary when I started, one such item being a number of packets of post it notes. In my opinion, a girl can never have too many post it notes, and therefore having a number of options given to me with my new desk was great as they were one of the first things I used upon starting my new position.

For those who haven't had the pleasure of owning a stack of post it notes, let me explain. Post it notes are quite simply little squares of paper which are stuck together with a strip of sticky back to create little towers of squares and these are typically used to create memos which can be stuck around your office to create lovely little visuals. Traditionally these little notes were yellow in colour and square in shape, however over the years, and certainly in during my working career, they have been added to so that they now include squares of varying shades of seemingly every colour in the rainbow which are both small and large and even flower shaped. Being a girly sort of girl, I can't think of anything nicer than having a stack of pink post its on my desk at home, and these create a lovely square of shocking pink around my house, reminding me to do tasks or simply to call someone back.

Moving to my new job, I have the privilege of owning various sizes of post it notes, however they are all yellow in colour much to my dismay. The beauty of these little squares of paper in my opinion is that they will stick to virtually any surface around my office without leaving a mark and this extends to the pages of books and to the sticking of them to my new bosses computer monitor. In addition, the stickiness of these notes is quite strong and they will easily stick to a surface for a few days until the task is completed and they can be put in the bin. The handy little size of these notes, being around 7.5cm by 7.5cm in dimension, means that they give sufficient space to write a brief note and give a flash of yellow against my otherwise quite plain coloured desk making sure that they stand out and prompt me. I do not (currently) own a smart phone, preferring to use my Outlook as a reminder and post it notes as prompts throughout the day, and these little squares suit the task perfectly.

The quality of these notes is excellent in my opinion. The sticky back ensures that they stick together in a neat little tower in between uses and the thick paper with which they are constructed means that they provide an easy surface to write on which does not allow the ink to penetrate through as thinner paper might.

The only thing that I would say about my new post it notes is that they are slightly too large to put inside contractual documents to prompt people to sign certain pages, and therefore I have put some post it 'flags' on my next stationary order. Price wise, you should expect to pay around £1 - £1.50 for one stack of notes and whilst I have not counted how many notes you get in one little tower I have found in my experience that they will easily last me for a couple of months with regular use.

I have been very pleased overall with my experience of post it notes and believe that they are good quality and functional little squares, therefore they come highly recommended by me. As a result this product scores an excellent five stars.

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Paper with sticky bits

What can possibly be said about post it notes that has not already been said. Not much, but at 600dms (No, not Deutsche marks) for a category 1 review, I'd better find something, eh?

People are disorganised. That's just how we roll. As a direct result, we buy notebooks and calendars, we tap away alarms and reminders in our smart phones. Our outlook directories are subdivided and classified, and still it's not enough.

Post it notes are little bits of coloured paper with a sticky strip on the reverse. They are great not only for reminders for yourself, but are a good way of leaving messages for other people. They come in a varying degree of sizes, shapes and colours, including some truly eye watering fluorescent ones.

They are great for sticking to laptops, tables and cubicle windows in the office. "Call so and so" or "I came to see you but you weren't here please call xxxx when back", to "Printer offline. Xerox called. Now to be known as Bob Marley, as it's always Jamming"

But their usefulness does not stop there. They are equally good at sticking to fridges, counters or consoles about the house. You can leave messages for your spouse or offspring, and they can do the same. No longer do you have to wait for the wife to finish watching Corrie before finding out which plate in the oven is yours.

Post it notes were created by Art Fry. Although he sounds like a character from Futurama, he was a researcher for the company 3M. He didn't invent the adhesive, a colleague did, but he did come up with the concept. You'd think this would have made him incredibly rich. But as an employee, neither man received ANY royalties.

You can buy a pack of 450 sheets for a fiver. That works out at just over one penny a sheet, and that pack will last quite awhile.

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Essential for any office.

If you've seen Bruce Almighty where Jim Carey converts all prayers into notes, and his whole office is covered in them to the point where you can't see anything else, that's pretty much what my office looks like, it's covered in these things. They're great for little reminders like shopping or to remind you of a phone call, and if they're brightly coloured, they work really well!

The post its stay up on their own for days on end. I have a fan in my office which sometimes blows them off if they're too close but just gently closing a door won't knock them off usually, I often find a couple on the floor where I have brushed past but these are usually the ones that have been up for a while.

The glue is strong when stuck to smooth surfaces but I wouldn't stick these to rough wood or bricks, they just don't work. The glue doesn't smell of anything, the paper just smells of paper and there is no strong chemical smell from the paper dye. The glue will go off eventually but the ones in my office stay up a good few days, some over a week.

The paper is not too thick or thin. It feels about 70 gsm but you wouldn't want anything too heavy or else it would fall off due to its weight. Sticking one over the top of the other will prove this point, i strongly recommend you keep them separate.

You can pull off and re stick these a few times but mine wont do this more than about 5 times. before they become useless. The amount of dirt that builds up on the glue is quite something, you should clean the surface or wipe it down if its dusty before use because the moment they get piles of dust on them, they are redundant and have to be binned. At least you can recycle them though.

The paper is a little absorbent so pens that smudge or leak ink excessively can write on without taking long to dry. The paper isn't completely smooth but it doesn't feel like sand paper either. Usually these things come in blocks and multi packs with un recyclable plastic packaging. At least you can recycle the notes.

Overall these are great little things, very handy for the office. These were invented by accident but a happy accident at that.

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A tool for everyone

No matter what your occupation is in life, everyone needs some post-it notes. If you are a stay at home mum, post-it notes are great for writing your list of jobs on. If you are a student, they are great for writing revision 'snip its' on. And if you are a healthcare professional, post-it notes are great for writing a patients vital observations on.

Post-it notes come in loads of different colours, shapes and sizes. Ranging from cute heart post-it notes to plain square post-it notes. As with quite a lot of my stationary, I bought my post-it notes from Rymans as I get a student discount there. The post-its I bought were rectangular ones which were 127 X 76mm. The pack contained 100 post-it notes and RRP's at £1.79. The post-its I bought were yellow in colour, in order to allow me to write on them in any colour without fear of the pen not showing up.

The post-its are thick meaning ink does not show through or smudge, and have a sticky top about 1cm wide allowing you to stick them anywhere you want. With cheaper post-it notes in the past, I have found you can only stick them once and then they lose their stick. But not with these official post-it notes. I have re-stuck them numerous times. Especially when revising when I want to stick them to different places around my room to test myself on facts and figures.

I also find the smaller size post-it notes very useful for sticking at the top of university books highlighting an important reference in a book. I then don't have to spend hours finding the correct page when I want to use the reference which is invaluable.

Overall, post-it notes are a great piece of stationary for everyone to have at work, at home or even in the car to remind yourself to do something when you get home. They can also be bought from loads of different places including supermarkets and stationary shops.

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Great for reminding you

I would class myself as quite a disorganised person, especially at work and one thing that I couldn't live without would be Post it notes as these help to remind me of what I need to do and when.

Post It notes come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colours, the most recognisable being bright yellow square ones. At work, we have a wide selection of different sizes but at home, I have a standard block of Post It which measure 3 x 3 inches, contains 500 sheets and costs in the region of £6. I use them for leaving reminders to my other half for when he returns home from work, but the one place I really couldn't do without these is work, my boss always comments on the number of different yellow shapes I have dotted around my pc monitor, on my notebook or on my phone. I also like to use the Post It page markers when I am proof reading our new catalogues, or as marking pages in books when I need to refer back to them. I find them great for leaving messages for my team rather then emails as I find this is instant whereas with emails I dependent on them reading them.

The Post it notes can be removed and re-stuck a good few times before they fail to stick, I find his really useful, again, at work, I will remove a post it from my monitor, start to deal with the task it says, I will then get interrupted so I can pop it back on my monitor and come back to it later. As well as this, I have found that they tend to stay in place, I don't come back into work the following day and find all my Post It notes have fallen off my PC. Although the adhesive is really good, it doesn't transfer onto the surface you have placed it one when you remove which is great.

Overall, I would recommend these, although there are cheaper versions available, the adhesive is no where near as good.

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I couldn't do without them!

Right - let's get one thing clear before we start - I have a memory like a sieve! Sadly as I get older it gets worse too but I am trying to ignore that for now.

So what do you do if you have a bad memory and need to remember something REALLY important? You write yourself a note of course! What if you put the note down and don't notice it in time for it to remind you of the important event? Then you need Post It Notes!

I am guessing that everyone reading this review knows what a Post It Note looks like but I'll briefly explain for the sake of completeness.

A Post It Note is a small sheet of paper on which you write a note in order to remind yourself or someone else of something you don't want to forget. The notes come in pads - one piece of paper on top of another - and as you peel off the piece of paper upon which you have just written you will notice that, across the top, is a strip of adhesive. This means that the note can now be stuck to any one of a variety of smooth surfaces.

Initially the Post It Notes were bright yellow and measured 76mm square. Boy how they have changed over the years! You can now get the original ones of course but they also now come in a range of pastel and fluorescent colours (you are not going to miss those now are you?). They also come in larger rectangles and also very small rectangles.

I have seen them shaped like hearts, speech bubbles, arrows, flowers and Tetris style blocks to name but a few. The other design that I have seen is where the Post It Notes are thin and rectangular and come in a container which sits on your desk. These are for sticking on the edge of pages that you need to mark.

So Post It Notes have definitely come a long way since the bright yellow squares!

As for the price these days - a pack of six standard sized pads of 100 sheets per pad will cost your about £6 - £7 on Amazon. The unusual shapes are obviously dearer.

I tend to use mine if there is something that I really cannot afford to forget. I write myself a Post It Note and then stick it somewhere that I will definitely see it - such as on the front door as I am about to leave the house, on the lid of my laptop which I use every day, on one of the drinks mats on the coffee table in the lounge - you get the general idea. When the task has been completed the Post It Note then goes into our log burner as a bit of extra fuel!

I love my Post It Notes and use them on a regular basis - I even had some of the nice coloured ones in with my Christmas presents a couple of years ago!

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An invaluable aid to office work and studying

Most people can't fail to recognise the familiar sticky yellow pads commonly known as 'post-it notes.' Like most successful products, the concept is incredibly simple with a basic small pad of paper being transformed into a really versatile product for both home and office by the addition of a sticky strip at the top of each page. Each sheet can be written on and then lifted off singly and stuck to any suitable surface.

I've used post-it notes for many years - since I was a teenager at school in fact, when the yellow sticky sheets were ideal for revision notes, which were plastered all over text books and even over my walls so I could memorise French words and phrases as soon as I woke up! (I was a bit of a swot at school - which is probably how I went on to study for a degree, a diploma and a Masters.) Fortunately, the glue used to adhere these sheets to an appropriate surface doesn't leave any residue or marks and can be removed easily without any damage, even on painted walls or paper.

For my postgraduate study, I found simple post-it notes to be equally as useful. I particularly liked the very tiny ones, which I'd previously dismissed as being too small for any practical use. On the contrary, I discovered that these tiny ones (I had ones in fluorescent pink) were ideal to use as page markers for particularly important sections of text which was especially useful when using library books when I wasn't able to annotate or mark the text directly. I could pinpoint the paragraph needed using the post it notes, by sticking them directly on to the relevant section of the page or simply using them to indicate the relevant pages and leaving them sticking out of the book for ease of reference. I'd highly recommend these mini versions for students for that very reason.

Now my student days have passed me by, I mainly use the standard sized small yellow pads at work in the office. Fortunately, I have a ready supply of these from the stationery cupboard (although this is becoming increasingly well-guarded by vigilant admin staff, in light of the ever increasing budgets cuts across local authorities!) I tend to use the pads to scribble down phone numbers and notes, particularly well taking messages for absent colleagues. I find them ideal for that purpose as their sticky nature means I'm able to position them in a visible place, such as directly on their pc screen or desk. The bright colouring means that the notes are less likely to be missed and the stickiness makes them more prominent than simply writing the message on a plain sheet of note paper which can be mislaid more easily.

My other primary use is to record phone numbers, addresses and other crucial details and then to fix the sheets into the relevant page of my work diary. The post it notes can then be removed after a visit, and moved to another page or document if needed for future reference or thrown away. I'm not sure whether post it notes can actually be recycled or not (because of the glue strip) but I tend to send mine off to the office shredder anyway.

Post it notes are widely available from any stationery supplier. Single packs (containing 100 sheets) can be picked up from Rymans for £1.89 with a multi-pack of three pads costing £2.49, although they may well be cheaper elsewhere. This is, admittedly, much more expensive than a simple notepad but the post it notes are far more versatile and useful, making the higher price justifiable.

Despite the increasing use of technology in the workplace and in life in general, I definitely think there is still room for simple products such as post it notes. Even though my desktop has a virtual 'post it note' facility on my pc screen, it doesn't seem to have as much impact as an actual sticky bit of paper does!